CSS3 Ruby Module Draft Published

The CSS Working Group has republished the CSS3 Ruby Module specification as a Working Draft. The document had previously been published in 2003 as a Candidate Recommendation.

“Ruby” are short runs of text alongside the base text, typically used in East Asian documents to indicate pronunciation or to provide a short annotation. This document proposes a set of CSS properties associated with ruby elements. They can be used in combination with the ruby elements of HTML.

The present Working Draft prepares the ground for the specification to be changed in a number of areas. Motivations for these changes include introduction of requirements arising from the Requirements for Japanese Text Layout document, updates to the handling of bopomofo ruby, and most importantly adaptations needed to support the new ruby markup model being introduced by HTML5.